Alexander Rothenberg's recently published dissertation "Elitesklaven und Profifußball. (Dis)kontinuitäten in der Produktion von Elitekörpern" has struck a nerve with the wider public! His claim that "professional footballers are today's elite slaves" was picked up by the WDR 3 RESONANZEN program, resulting in a 15-minute-radio interview broadcast on November 13, 2024.
For a deeper insight into his research findings listen to the latest Uni Bonn HYPOTHESE Podcast!
In the half-hour interview with podcaster Denis Nasser, BCDSS doctoral graduate Alexander Rothenberg explains how he examined various forms of elite slavery and why "professional footballers are today's elite slaves ". Guided by the question which structures in today's world had similar dependencies to those of the past, he was looking for "anything comparable to this harem, such as an academy, a training center", which quickly landed him in the realm of sport.
The comparison to professional soccer seemed evident, he claims, pointing to "this long process of training, the isolation as a child in these academies, down to the trading of bodies, where third parties benefit financially on a massive scale."
To learn more about Alexander Rothenberg's findings, who now works at the Center for Development Research (ZEF) at the University of Bonn, tune into the latest episode of the University of Bonn’s German-language podcast series, 'Hypothese'. You can find it here or listen on your favorite podcast app, including Spotify, Apple, Deezer, Google, and podcast.de.